Oakland Raiders selected to appear on ‘Hard Knocks’

The Oakland Raiders built a roster of characters that were meant for HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” Fittingly, they were announced Tuesday as the team that will be featured on the training camp show.

“If you’re a fan of football or great storytelling, HARD KNOCKS with the Oakland Raiders is going to be must-see television,” HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson said. “We are so grateful to this storied franchise for opening up its doors and allowing HBO and NFL Films to spend the summer with the Raiders in what promises to be a compelling and engaging training camp.”

“Since the AFL-NFL merger, the Raiders have been a part of some of the most iconic moments in League history,” says NFL Films senior executive Ross Ketover. “We at NFL Films have been thrilled and honored to showcase the mythology of the Raiders from the Holy Roller, Sea of Hands, Ghost to the Post all the way to today with Coach Gruden and this unbelievable cast of players and coaches. Needless to say, we’re very much looking forward to this season of Hard Knocks.”

This will be the 14th edition of the program, which began in 2001. HBO said in their press announcement that episodes of “Hard Knocks” have averaged 3.9 million viewers over the past four seasons.

What makes the Raiders so perfect for the show? Let’s start with head coach Jon Gruden, who was a television personality for ESPN several years prior to his return to coaching. Then they have Antonio Brown, who forced his way out of Pittsburgh and is now in his first season with the Raiders. They also added Vontaze Burfict, a player who’s been fined more money than any other player in the history of the league. Their GM Mike Mayock also was just a TV analyst for NFL Network.

There should be no shortage of entertainment with this year’s version of the show.